What Is the Macro Diet, and does it help you lose weight?

Macro Diet - HealthCodes DNA - Ideal Macronutrient Ratio Based on Genetics

The macro diet — short for macronutrients — is a way of eating that focuses on the balance between carbs, fats, and proteins. Macro dieting is based on the idea that different nutrients go into other metabolic pathways. The body uses a specific amount of energy, proteins, fats, and carbs, during each phase, which dictates what a macro diet strives to achieve. Through the right balance of high-quality proteins, fats, and carbs, you can give your body the quality nutrition to become faster and stronger at building muscle

A macro diet is a diet that includes eating food with a large proportion of macronutrientsIt has been advocated by Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life. You need to figure out what macro ratio is best for you. Interestingly, the ideal macronutrient ratio for each unique individual is also determined by their genetics. More on that later. By eating in the right proportions, you can lose weight and get more energy faster than you expected. Have you tried different methods to get your weight loss, but all proved abortive? 

A macro diet might be the answer if you find yourself in this situation. This reasonably new type of diet works by counting your macronutrient intake. If you’re wondering what this means and whether it’s right for you, here are all the details of the macro diet. This post will enlighten and guide you through all the processes you need to take in achieving your weight loss goals.

What is a macro diet?

The macro diet is based on consuming three macronutrients — carbs, proteins, and fats. These are the three types of foods that your body breaks down to produce energy. Each nutrient has its benefits, so it’s essential to get enough of them in your diet. The purpose of the macro diet is to ensure that you do get enough of each of these nutrients. 

How does macro dieting work?

The first step in using the macro diet is determining how many calories you need to consume each day. There are several ways to estimate this number based on your height, weight, and activity level. The next step is figuring out how much of each macronutrient you should consume daily. Since each macronutrient has a different caloric value per gram, you can multiply the percentage goals by four (carbs), nine (proteins), and four (fats) to see how many grams you should eat. 

How does genetics affect macronutrient metabolism?

Whole energy intake vs macronutrient preference?

There is a solid scientific debate about how health benefits are acquired when observing different diets with different macronutrients. Although many analyses imply that these benefits result from reduced energy input, there are also clear signs that macronutrient preference can make a difference. We are just beginning to understand how long-term macronutrient preferences could affect health.

– How can macronutrient preference affect my body?

Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer for each unique individual. Everyone’s genetic background is unique, so your macronutrient needs may not fall within a typical diet. This is often why there isn’t a diet that works for everyone, although advocates often tell you so. You can compare this with how different people respond differently to the same medication. This results from hundreds to thousands of discrete genetic variations, and the same principle is accurate for nutrition.

 It is the mission of HealthCodes DNA to help clients relieve this pain point by developing non-invasive, at-home DNA test kits for nutrition and wellness. These DNA tests make for an easy depiction of your genetic metabolism so you can implement the results from the comfort of home to improve your health.

– Is it possible to predict macronutrient requirements for someone?

Presently, it is possible. Through large-scale population-based research studies, there are ways to predict your macronutrient requirements based on your genetics. At HealthCodes DNA, clients discover the proper amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates to incorporate into their diet based on their genetic macronutrient metabolism through an at-home DNA test for nutrition.  

– Can one respond better to high fat or high protein? 

This is possible with today’s science. Genetic markers influence your fat and protein metabolism. By combining a group of these markers and rating them accordingly, you are able to see if someone is better at processing fat, or protein than the average individual. All work is done at the population scale and is thus statistically significant.

Are their models when we do know how to choose macronutrients.

Yes, it is true. Many of us understand that enormous amounts of sugar can stress the body and trigger health problems. However, sugar can be helpful also. If ingested during activity, there wouldn’t be significant adverse effects on you. There are positive effects, such as improved performance for specific actions. For certain situations, one should follow your medical recommendation. Sugar can be toxic to people who have diabetes as they are deficient in absorbing it from the blood. Interestingly, now we understand that some sugary products could be horrible for anyone with diabetes and have no adverse effect on another due to the contrasts in the hereditary makeup.

What are the benefits of a macro diet?

There are many benefits to ingesting an adequate amount of macronutrients. In principle, the macro diet aims to help people lose weight by focusing on the quality and quantity of food rather than counting calories.

Let’s look at how the macro diet works, including its benefits. 

Healthy weight loss: When you eat the correct quantity and quality of macronutrients, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, your body can maintain a healthy weight.

-Better digestion: A diet rich in macronutrients can improve your digestive health.

-Improved mood: Eating macro-rich foods gives you energy and improves your mood.

-Increased performance: Eating foods high in macronutrients can help you exercise longer and harder.

-Stronger immune system: A balanced intake of macronutrients can strengthen your immune system and reduce your risk of contracting an illness or infection.

Build muscle.

– Increase your metabolism: It improves metabolic parameters, such as blood glucose levels.

– Improve your athletic performance.

Why you should track macros and your intakes?

The point of tracking macros is to optimize your nutrient intake. Most people think they’re getting enough of each macronutrient in their diets, but that’s not always true. Here’s a brief overview of each one, with a more detailed overview to follow:

Carbohydrates (carbs):

Carbs are often unfairly demonized in health and fitness circles. While they can be a problem if eaten in excess, carbs are essential for energy, performance, and general well-being. They also help fight hunger and keep your metabolism humming along nicely.

Protein:

Protein is often thought of as just a muscle-building nutrient, but it plays many other vital roles in your body. It helps you feel full after meals and speeds up muscle recovery from workouts by repairing tissue damage from lifting weights or doing cardioAnd like carbs, protein is an essential source of energy for your body.

Fat:

Fat has been nicknamed nasty over the years for diets because too much of it raises cholesterol levels and increases heart disease risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure. This is where a macro calculator can be helpful, especially if you do not have much experience with eating this way. You can use an online free macros calculator to determine how many grams of each macronutrient you should consume each day, depending on your weight, height, and age. 

How is a macro diet similar to — and different from — other diets?

You’ve probably understood the “macro diet,” but you may be wondering how it’s different from other diets. Here’s an analysis of how it works, who should try it, and what to watch out for. To understand how a macro diet is similar to and different from other diets, you first have to learn the basics of what the macro diet is. Macro diets are similar to and different from other diets in that both require you to track the food you eat, but a macro diet focuses on specific ratios of macronutrients — protein, carbs, and fat.

The macro diet is similar to other diets. It requires you to input your height, weight, and activity level into an online calculator, determining how many calories you should be consuming each day. This is a prevalent practice in most mainstream dieting programsHowever, the macro diet is different from other diets in that it doesn’t restrict you from eating any particular food or food group. Instead, it uses a point system to help you make informed decisions about the foods you eat based on their nutritional value. For example, the macro diet allows you to consume various foods — including fatty and high-sugar foods — as long as they fit within your daily points allowance.

What Are Macronutrients—And Why Should We Give a Focus

You’ve probably heard the word macronutrient tossed around before. When you go to a nutritionist, they may ask you what your diet is like. They’ll likely break this down into macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. While micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential for staying alive and healthy, macronutrients are necessary for energy. They’re what our bodies use as fuel. The term “macronutrient” comes from the Greek words makros (“large”) and khreomai (“to nourish”).

-What exactly are macronutrients?

At their simplest, macronutrients are the building blocks of nutrition. You probably already know them as carbs, fats, and proteins. We use macronutrients for energy, build new tissue, and regulate critical bodily processes. The prefix “macro” means large instead of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) which are only needed in small amounts. However, it’s a little misleading.

We need more significant macronutrients than we do micronutrients—but not by much. Each gram of protein and carbohydrate comprises 4 calories (technically kilocalories, but let’s call them calories). Each gram of fat contains nine calories. So when you look at the calorie content of food, you see the macronutrient content expressed as energy. When it comes to our diet and health, the big question is: How much of each macronutrient should we eat?

The answer isn’t always clear-cut; it depends on age, gender, health goals (weight loss/gain/maintenance), activity levels, genetics, etc. It is important to get an ideal balance of all three macronutrients in your daily food intake. 

– Macronutrient 1: Carbohydrates

Carbs are often unfairly demonized in health and fitness circles. While they can be a problem if eaten in excess, carbs are essential for energy, performance, and general well-being. They also help fight hunger and keep your metabolism humming along nicely. Carbohydrates (carbs) are the body’s primary source of energy—to a greater extent than protein or fat—and should make up about 45 to 65 percent of the total calories you eat each day, according to recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Carbohydrates serve as fuel for the body to function correctly.

They are broken down into glucose for the body to use for energy. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple (like table sugar) and complex (like whole grains). The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars. Carbohydrates have four calories per gram; therefore, if you eat 2,000 calories a day, that works out to 900 to 1,300 calories from carbs (225 to 325 grams). These foods include pieces of bread and grains, starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn, fruits, milk products, and sweets.

– Macronutrient 2: Protein 

Protein is often thought of as just a muscle-building nutrient, but it plays many other vital roles in your body. It helps you feel full after meals and speeds up muscle recovery from workouts by repairing tissue damage from lifting weights or doing cardio. And like carbs, protein is an essential source of energy for your body. Proteins help your body repair tissue and make enzymes and hormones. Protein can be found in meat, dairy products, fish, nuts, beans, and eggs. Protein provides 4 calories per gram. It is needed for the growth and repair of tissues in the body and makes up 10 to 35 percent of daily calories. 

If you eat 2,000 calories per day, that works out to 200 to 700 calories (50 to 175 grams) from protein foods like beef, pork, poultry, fish, and seafood; eggs; beans and peas; soy productsAll the food mentioned above is rich in protein which helps build muscle and supports healthy skin and hair. The suggested daily allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. 

– Macronutrient 3: Fat

Fat is believed to cause an increase in cholesterol levels and increases heart disease risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure. Fat provides the body with energy, keeps the skin healthy, and helps you absorb specific vitamins like A, D, E, and K. Also, fat aids in vitamin absorption and helps protect vital organs like your heart and kidneys. Fat is also essential for hormone function and maintaining cell membranesWe have 4 types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fat (which should be avoided). 

How do I calculate and track macronutrients?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults aim for a daily intake of between 1,600 and 3,000 calories per day depending on their age, gender, and activity level. Using an online calculator, such as this one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you can find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight and make adjustments. When you’re on a ketogenic diet, your meals should contain a balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

The objective is to eat fewer carbs than your body needs for energy to turn to fat for fuel. To work out the exact amounts of each macronutrient, you need to eat, you’ll need to know your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This is the number of calories you burn in a day. The simplest way to work out your TDEE is to use an online calculator. Use your gender, age, weight, and activity level to calculate how many calories you burn in a day. The calculator also tells you how much each macronutrient you need for a keto diet. Some apps can help you track how many grams of each macronutrient you’ve eaten. It’s not perfect – some people find that it reports more carbs than there are in certain foods – but it’s helpful when you’re getting started.

Nutrients are essential for weight loss or weight gain:

If you understand how to calculate and track these nutrients is essential for weight loss or weight gain; there are a few simple formulas to remember when calculating macros:

Calories = Protein x 4 + Carbohydrates x 4 + Fat x 9

Protein = Body Weight in lbs x 0.8-1.0 grams

Fat = Body Weight in lbs x 0.25-0.5 grams

Carbohydrates – Protein – Fat = Remaining Calories

Once you have calculated your macros, use a tracker to track your protein intake, carbohydrates, and fat throughout the day. Eating a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats will help you reach your fitness goals faster than cutting out entire food groups or eliminating fat from your diet completely.

How to use the macro diet for weight loss

The macro diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet similar to a ketogenic diet but with room for more carbs. It’s designed to help you build muscle and get leanThe meals allow for some flexibility, but you’ll follow a complex set of rules every day. And you won’t count calories instead of focusing on your macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein). You begin each day by eating 3-4 tablespoons of healthy fat like coconut oil or butter while avoiding carbs altogether (except for green veggies). Once the full 4 hours have passed since the first meal, you may eat up until the following day. The only carbs consumed should be green veggies in as unlimited quantities that you desire. Use this plan to tackle gaining muscle while getting lean!

How to count macros when trying to lose weight or build muscle

    1. How to count macros for weight loss:

Counting macros is a dietary strategy that breaks down your daily calorie intake into specific amounts of macronutrients. This approach focuses on how much protein, fat, and carbohydrates you eat rather than calories. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, you might count macros to make sure you’re eating enough protein but not too much fat.

To count macros, you must first understand the relationship between the three macronutrients and energy. The number of calories in each macronutrient is as follows:

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

One gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

For example, if your goal is 2,000 daily calories, you could aim for:

Protein: 200 grams or 800 calories (20%)

Carbohydrate: 300 grams or 1,200 calories (60%)

Fat: 50 grams or 450 calories (20%)

At HealthCodes DNA, we give you the exact ratio percentages of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the Wellness Panel so you can understand exactly how much of each you need to take in each day to optimize your health based on your genetics.

     2. How to count macros for bodybuilding:

If you’re serious about making gains, you need to be serious about counting macros for bodybuilding. Macronutrients are the factor of nutrition and what your body uses for energy. Macronutrients include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each macronutrient has a specific caloric value. One gram of protein has four calories, while one gram of carbohydrate or fat contains nine calories. 

    3. Counting macros for maintenance

To maintain your current weight, you need to eat the same number of calories that your body burns. If you’re at a healthy weight, you should be able to do this by eating regular meals and snacks and not skipping meals. The average man needs around 2,500 calories a day, while the average female needs around 2,000 calories.

    4. How to count macros for the keto diet?

The ketogenic diet is low in carbohydrates, moderate protein, and an increased fat-based nutrition planA ketogenic diet can also help the metabolism run off fatty acids or ketone bodies. This is referred to as fat adjusted when the body has adapted to run off of fatty acids/ketones at rest. Ketogenic diets are often very satiating, making them great for individuals who get hangry (easily angry or irritable when hungry) between meals and for whom traditional snacking doesn’t work.

The most keto-friendly snacks are low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and high in healthy fats. When you follow a keto diet, your macros are typically 5-10% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 65-75% fat (by calories). For example, if you’re following a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 100 to 200 calories from carbs (25 to 50 grams), 400 to 500 calories from protein (100 to 125 grams), and 1,400 to 1,500 calories from fat (155 to 169 grams).

Conclusion:

The macro diet teaches you how to count the grams of proteins, carbs, and fats that you are eating within your calorie goal. The system is not just a calorie-counting diet, but it also considers the ratios of those macronutrients. This method can be beneficial for anyone looking to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

That’s why at Healthcodes DNA, clients receive an ideal macronutrient ratio diet based on their genetics, so you can eliminate the guesswork in dieting and focus on unlocking their best self in as little time and effort as possible. The influence of genetics on diet and exercise is undeniable and HealthCodes DNA exists to help empower your workout and diet by leveraging these detailed insights to integrate into your diet and workout routines.

HealthCodes DNA offers DNA health test kits for accelerated weight loss, accelerated muscle gain, and maintenance to tailor the diet to your individual goals and needs. Which one you pick is up to your specific needs, though the recommendation would be to select the comprehensive 3-Panel Analysis, which includes the Wellness Panel, Nutrition Panel, and Fitness Panel with a total of 40 DNA test results all in one. The best part about HealthCodes DNA’s tests is that the results stay with you for a lifetime, as the genetic markers (SNPs) that HealthCodes DNA examines do not change throughout the course of your lifetime and are not affected by lifestyle changes.

 

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  2. Genetic Information. Genetic Information refers to features of your DNA that distinguish you from other people (e.g. the As, Ts, Cs, and Gs at particular locations in your genome) and is generated when we analyze and process your saliva sample, or when you otherwise contribute or access your Genetic Information through our Services. Genetic Information includes the HealthCodes DNA Results information reported to you as part of our Services, and may be used for other purposes, as outlined in Section 4 below.

 

  1. Information collected through tracking technology (e.g. from cookies and similar technologies)

Web Behavior Information. We and our third-party partners use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons, tags, scripts and device identifiers) to help us recognize you, customize and improve your experience, provide security, analyze usage of our Services (such as to analyze your interactions with the results, reports, and other features of the Service), gather demographic information about our user base, to offer our products and services to you, to monitor the success of marketing programs, and to serve targeted advertising on our site and on other sites around the Internet. We and our third-party partners do not use your sensitive information, such as Genetic Information and Self-Reported Information for targeted advertising. We may receive reports based on the use of these technologies by these companies on an individual as well as aggregated basis. Users can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level. If you reject cookies, you may still use our site, but your ability to use some features or areas of our site may be limited.

As is true of most websites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information may include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and/or clickstream data. We may combine this automatically collected log information with other information we collect about you, such as your user profile ID or order number. We do this to improve services we offer you, and to improve marketing, analytics, and site functionality.

When you access our Service by or through a mobile device, we may receive or collect and store a unique identification numbers associated with your device or our mobile application (including, for example, a UDID, Unique ID for Advertisers (“IDFA”), Google Ad ID, or Windows Advertising ID), mobile carrier, device type, model and manufacturer, mobile device operating system brand and model, phone number, and, depending on your mobile device settings, your geographical location data, including GPS coordinates (e.g. latitude and/or longitude) or similar information regarding the location of your mobile device.

Because HealthCodes DNA relies on third-party ad networks who may track you across websites over time for advertising purposes, we are not able to respond to your selection of the “Do Not Track” option provided by your browser. We cannot advise on whether your selection of “Do Not Track” option will have any effect on the collection of cookie information by the third-parties who collect such cookie information on our site.

Third-parties with whom we partner to provide certain features on our site or to display advertising based upon your Web browsing activity use Flash Cookies (Local Shared Objects) to collect and store information. To learn how to manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies click here.

Google Analytics. Google Analytics is used to perform some of the tasks listed above. We use the User-ID feature of Google Analytics to combine behavioral information across devices and sessions (including authenticated and unauthenticated sessions). We have enabled the following Google Analytics Advertising features: Remarketing, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting, and DoubleClick Campaign Manager integration. We do not merge information collected through any Google advertising product with individual-level information collected elsewhere by our service. Learn more about how Google collects and uses data here. To opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features please use Google Ad Settings or the links provided in section 2.b.c.ii (“Targeted advertising” service providers). To opt out of Google Analytics entirely please use this link.

  1. Other Types of Information.

We are always working to enhance our Services with new products, applications and features that may result in the collection of new and different types of information. We will update our privacy statement, as needed.

  1. How we use and share information

HealthCodes DNA will use and share your personal information with third-parties only in the ways that are described in this privacy statement.

  1. Using information to provide, analyze and improve our Services

We use the information described above in Section 3 to operate, provide, analyze and improve our Services. These activities may include, among other things, using your information in a manner consistent with other commitments in this privacy statement, to:

  1. open your account, enable purchases and process payments, communicate with you, and implement your requests (e.g., referrals);
  2. host our website, run our mobile application(s), authenticate your visits, provide custom, personalized content and information, and track your usage of our Services;
  • conduct analytics to improve and enhance our Services;
  1. offer new products or services to you, including through emails, promotions or contests;
  2. implement online marketing campaigns and targeted advertising, including by utilizing third-party ads (subject to your cookie settings and preferences), and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing and targeted advertising;
  3. conduct surveys or polls, and obtain testimonials;
  • process and deliver your genetic testing results;
  • perform research & development activities, which may include, for example, conducting data analysis and research in order to develop new or improve existing products and services, and performing quality control activities.

You may be able to opt-in, opt-out or otherwise adjust your preferences of having your information used for certain of these activities. Please see below to learn more.

We use mobile analytics software to allow us to better understand the functionality of our Mobile Software on your phone. This software may record information such as how often you use the application, the events that occur within the application, aggregated usage, performance data, and where the application was downloaded from. We do not link the information we store within the analytics software to any personally identifiable information you submit within the mobile application.

  1. Using information with your consent

You have the choice to participate in HealthCodes DNA Research by providing your consent. “HealthCodes DNA Research” refers to research aimed at publication in peer-reviewed journals and other research funded by the federal government (such as the National Institutes of Health – NIH) conducted by HealthCodes DNA. HealthCodes DNA Research may be sponsored by, conducted on behalf of, or in collaboration with third-parties, such as non-profit foundations, academic institutions or pharmaceutical companies.  HealthCodes DNA Research may study a specific group or population, identify potential areas or targets for therapeutics development, conduct or support the development of drugs, diagnostics or devices to diagnose, predict or treat medical or other health conditions, work with public, private and/or non-profit entities on genetic research initiatives, or otherwise create, commercialize, and apply this new knowledge to improve health care. HealthCodes DNA Research uses your aggregate or individual-level Genetic Information and Self-Reported Information as specified in the Terms of Service.

Consent process for research. Your Genetic Information and Self-Reported Information may be used for HealthCodes DNA Research only if you have consented to this use by completing a Research Initiatives Consent Document. If you have completed a Research Initiatives Consent Document:

  1. Your aggregated, de-identified Genetic Information may be used for either philanthropic or commercial research purposes as set forth more fully the Research Initiatives Consent Document.
  2. When your Genetic Information and Self-Reported Informationis being used for research purposes, it will not be linked to your Registration Information.
  1. Withdrawing your Consent.You may withdraw your consent to participate in HealthCodes DNA Research Initiatives at any time by emailing us at support@healthcodesdna.com. HealthCodes DNA will not include your Genetic Information or Self-Reported Information in new research occurring after 30 days from the receipt of your request. Any research involving your data that has already been performed or published prior to our receipt of your request will not be reversed, undone, or withdrawn. If you withdraw your consent for research your Genetic Information and Self-Reported Information may still be used by us and shared with our third-party service providers to provide and improve our Services (as described in Section 4.a), and shared as Aggregate Information that does not identify you as an individual (as described in Section 4.d).
  2. What happens if you do NOT consent to HealthCodes DNA Research?If you do not complete a Research Initiatives Consent Document or any additional consent agreement with HealthCodes DNA, your information will not be used for HealthCodes DNA Research Initiatives and you will not be able to use HealthCodes DNA Services.
  1. Recruiting for external research

Academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and other groups are always conducting interesting new research projects. We want to make you aware of these opportunities. While we do not share individual-level Genetic Information or Self-Reported Information with third-parties without your consent, from time to time we may inform you of third-party research opportunities for which you may be eligible. For example, if a university tells us about a new cancer research project, we may send an email to HealthCodes DNA members who potentially fit the relevant eligibility criteria based on their Self-Reported Information to make them aware of the research project and provide a link to participate with the research organization conducting the study.

  1. Information we share with third-parties
  • General service providers.We share the information described above in Section 3 with our service providers, as necessary to provide their services to us. Service providers are third-parties (other companies or individuals) that help us to provide, analyze and improve our Services. For example, we work with third-party laboratories and contractors to process and analyze your saliva sample for purposes of generating your Genetic Information

NOTE: Our service providers act on HealthCodes DNA’s behalf. While we implement procedures and contractual terms to protect the confidentiality and security of your information, we cannot guarantee the confidentiality and security of your information due to the inherent risks associated with storing and transmitting data electronically.

When you purchase a testing kit and report from HealthCodes DNA, you are instructed to send a saliva sample to our third-party laboratory with a unique barcode label. The unique barcode identifies you to us but not to the laboratory. We may also be required to provide to the laboratory, your sex and date of birth or age pursuant to clinical laboratory requirements such as the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). No other Registration Information such as your name, address, email, phone number or other contact information) is required or provided to the laboratory. The receiving personnel at the laboratory will remove and discard your “sender information” from the packaging (e.g., name, address) before testing personnel receive the samples for processing. Receiving personnel do not perform testing, and testing personnel handle saliva samples that are labeled only with the unique barcode. DNA and saliva samples are destroyed after the laboratory completes its work, provided that laboratory legal and regulatory requirements no longer require the actual samples to be maintained. A de-identified copy of genotyping data may be kept in accordance with CLIA. The laboratory securely sends the resulting Genetic Information to our third party reporting company along with your unique barcode. Genetic Information is stored securely on our servers; the laboratory also stores your Genetic Information, but again, labeled only with the barcode.

  • “Targeted advertising” service providers.We may permit third-party advertising networks and providers to collect Web Behavior Information on our Service to help us to deliver targeted online advertisements (“ads”) to you. They use cookies and similar technologies (such as JavaScript, beacons, device identifiers, location data, and clear gifs) to compile information about your browser’s or device’s visits and usage patterns on our Services and on other websites over time, which helps to better personalize ads to match your interests, and to measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

If you wish to not have this information used for the purpose of serving you targeted ads, you may be able to opt-out of many advertising networks by visiting here and here (if you are located in Canada, click here; or if you are located in the European Union click here). Please note this does not mean that you have opted-out of being served advertising. You will continue to receive generic ads.

  • Aggregate information.We may share aggregate information with third-parties, which is any information that has been stripped of your Registration (e.g., your name and contact information) and aggregated with information of others so that you cannot reasonably be identified as an individual (“Aggregate Information”). This Aggregate Information is different from “individual-level” information. Individual-level Genetic Information or Self-Reported Information of data about a single individual’s genotypes, diseases or other traits/characteristics information. For example, Aggregate Information may include a statement that “30% of our female users share a particular genetic trait,” without providing any data or testing results specific to any individual user. We may provide such Aggregate Information in commercial arrangements with our business partners. In contrast, individual-level Genetic Information could reveal whether a specific user has a particular genetic trait, or all of the Genetic Information about that user. HealthCodes DNA will ask for your consent to share individual-level Genetic Information or Self-Reported Information with any third-party, other than our service providers as necessary for us to provide the Services to you.
  • Information we share with commonly owned entities.We may share some or all of your information with other companies under common ownership or control of HealthCodes DNA, which may include our subsidiaries, our corporate parent, or any other subsidiaries owned by our corporate parent in order to provide you better service and improve user experience. We may provide additional notice and ask for your consent if we wish to share your information with our commonly owned entities in a materially different way than discussed in this Privacy Statement.
  1. Disclosures required by law

Under certain circumstances your information may be subject to disclosure pursuant to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants, or orders, or in coordination with regulatory authorities, we may be required to disclose personal data in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. HealthCodes DNA will preserve and disclose any and all information to law enforcement agencies or others if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal or regulatory process (such as a judicial proceeding, court order, or government inquiry) or obligations that HealthCodes DNA may owe pursuant to ethical and other professional rules, laws, and regulations; (b) enforce the HealthCodes DNA Terms of Service and other policies; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third-parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of HealthCodes DNA, its employees, its users, its clients, and the public.

NOTE: If you are participating in HealthCodes DNA Research, HealthCodes DNA will withhold disclosure of your personal information involved in such research in response to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants or orders in accordance with any applicable Certificate of Confidentiality that HealthCodes DNA and/or any of its third party providers has obtained from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There are limits to what the Certificate of Confidentiality covers so please visit the Certificates of Confidentiality Kiosk ( https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/coc/index.htm).

  1. Your choices
  2. Access to your account

If your Registration Information changes, you may access, correct or update most of it from your Account page. You may also modify and delete certain of your information. Please note that you may not be able to delete User Content that has been shared with others through the Service and that you may not be able to delete information that has been shared with third-parties, though we can work with you to prohibit your data from being shared with third-parties in the future. We will respond to your request to access within 30 days.

  1. Marketing communications

By registering for an account, you are agreeing that we may send you promotional emails about our Services. You can opt-out of such emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of any of our or third-party promotional email communications. Please note that you may not opt-out of receiving non-promotional messages regarding your account, such as technical notices, purchase confirmations, or Service-related emails.

  1. Information you choose to share with others

You may decide to disclose your personal information to friends and/or family members, doctors or other health care professionals, and/or other individuals outside of our Services, including through third-party services such as social networks and third-party apps that connect to our website and mobile apps through our application programming interface (“API”). These third-parties may use your personal information differently than we do under this Privacy Statement. Please make such choices carefully and review the privacy policies of all other third-parties involved in the transaction. For example, if you have enabled a HealthCodes DNA sharing feature with another person who downloads a third-party app that uses our API, your information may also be obtained by that third-party app developer and, potentially, by other users of that third-party app.

In general, personal information, once shared or disclosed, can be difficult to contain or retrieve. HealthCodes DNA will have no responsibility or liability for any consequences that may result because you have released or shared personal information with others.

  1. Account closure

If you no longer wish to participate in our Services or no longer wish to have your personal information be used, you may close your account by sending a request to support@healthcodesdna.com. When closing an account, we remove all Genetic Information within your account (or profile) within thirty (30) days of our receipt of your request. As stated in any applicable Consent Document, however, Genetic Information and/or Self-Reported Information that you have previously provided and for which you have given consent to use in HealthCodes DNA Research cannot be removed from ongoing or completed studies that use the information. Our contracted genotyping laboratory may also retain your Genetic Information as required by local law and we may retain backup copies for a limited period of time pursuant to our data protection policies. In addition, we retain limited Registration Information related to your order history (e.g., name, contact, and transaction data) as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services, as well as for accounting, audit and compliance purposes.

  1. Important Information
  2. Security measures

HealthCodes DNA takes seriously the trust you place in us. To prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, to maintain data accuracy, and to ensure the appropriate use of information, HealthCodes DNA uses a range of physical, technical, and administrative measures to safeguard your Personal Information. In particular, all connections to and from our website and mobile application are encrypted using Extended Validation Secure Socket Layer (EV SSL) technology.

Please recognize that protecting your Personal Information is also your responsibility. We ask you to be responsible for safeguarding your password, secret questions and answers, and other authentication information you use to access our Services. You should not disclose your authentication information to any third-party and should immediately notify HealthCodes DNA of any unauthorized use of your password. HealthCodes DNA cannot secure Personal Information that you release on your own or that you request us to release.

Your information collected through the Service may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which HealthCodes DNA or its subsidiaries, affiliates or service providers maintain facilities and, therefore, your information may be subject to the laws of those other jurisdictions which may be different from the laws of your country of residence.

  1. Business transactions

In the event that HealthCodes DNA goes through a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your information will likely be among the assets transferred. In such a case, your information would remain subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Statement.

  1. Linked websites

HealthCodes DNA provides links to third-party websites operated by organizations not affiliated with HealthCodes DNA. HealthCodes DNA does not disclose your information to organizations operating such linked third-party websites. HealthCodes DNA does not review or endorse, and is not responsible for, the privacy practices of these organizations. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of each and every website that you visit. This Privacy Statement applies solely to information collected by HealthCodes DNA.

  1. Children’s privacy

HealthCodes DNA is committed to protecting the privacy of children as well as adults. Neither HealthCodes DNA nor any of its Services are designed for, intended to attract, or directed toward children under the age of 18. A parent or guardian, however, may collect a saliva sample from, create an account for, and provide information related to, his or her child. The parent or guardian assumes full responsibility for ensuring that the information that he/she provides to HealthCodes DNA about his or her child is kept secure and that the information submitted is accurate.

  1. Changes to this Privacy Statement

Whenever this Privacy Statement is changed in a material way, a notice will be posted as part of this Privacy Statement and on our customers’ account login pages for 30 days. After 30 days the changes will become effective. In addition, all customers will receive an email with notification of the changes prior to the change becoming effective.

  1. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement, please email HealthCodes DNA at info@HealthCodesDNA.com.